VMAs 2016: Fact Vs. Fiction On MTV Video Music Awards

The highly-anticipated 2016 VMAs took place on Sunday, and now Gossip Cop can separate fact from fiction on stories that emerged about this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

FICTION: Taylor Swift was snubbed by the VMAs nominations, according to Us Weekly.FACT: As Gossip Cop reported when the nominees were announced last month, Swift didn’t submit any music videos for consideration. With promotion for 1989 over and Swift in the midst of a break after extensive time in the spotlight, she had no intention of going to the VMAs. She was not snubbed, but rather chose not to get involved with this year’s competition.

FICTION: Kanye West was going to end his feud with Taylor Swift at the VMAs, according to HollywoodLife.FACT: After it was confirmed West would be in attendance, the site speculated that he would reunite with Swift as a follow-up to last year’s joint appearance and as a new twist in their ongoing feud. The outlet even said West could end the war with Swift on stage. But as mentioned above, Swift wasn’t going to the VMAs, something HollywoodLies would’ve known if it bothered to do research.

FICTION: Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift were going to have a showdown at the VMAs, according to HollywoodLife.FACT: Similar to the aforementioned West story, the webloid predicted a run-in between Kardashian and Swift at the event, even theorizing that “the VMAs stage could turn into the platform for a girl fight real quick.” The story hinged on the two women being at the “same place,” which was never going to be the case. A dramatic run-in was never an actual possibility, as Swift wouldn’t be attending the VMAs, something HollywoodLies easily could have fact-checked before running its speculative story.

FICTION: Beyonce got Taylor Swift “banned” from the VMAs, according to MediaTakeOut.FACT: We repeat: Swift was never going to this year’s ceremony. This was known in July. But the bad blog chose to pick up a blind item that ridiculously claimed Beyonce forced MTV to prohibit Swift from attending the event. That’s simply not true, or as Gossip Cop was told, it’s actually “made-up B.S.” Swift’s lack of involvement with the 2016 VMAs had nothing to do with Beyonce and everything to do with the personal and professional reasons listed above.

FICTION: Beyonce was going to perform outside to open the VMAs, according to MediaTakeOut.FACT: In a supposed “world exclusive,” MTO insisted the ceremony would kick off with Beyonce singing “Hold Up” outside Madison Square Garden. It was even said “tens of thousands” of people were expected to “watch a FREE BEYONCE SHOW on 33rd Street.” Of course, Beyonce did NOT open the show, and her entire performance took place INSIDE the venue. The photos the site posted as proof of the superstar’s outside set were actually part of the staging for other performers, including Ty Dolla $ign and Lukas Graham.

FICTION: Britney Spears was “freaked out” about her VMAs performance, according to RadarOnline.FACT: The webloid claimed the combined stress of the pop star’s MTV Video Music Awards comeback and the release of her new album, Glory, had Spears struggling. But while she was admittedly nervous to take the stage, as she is for all big performances, there was no “freaking out” going on. In fact, one contact point-blank told Gossip Cop that the claims were nothing more than “Radar making up stories.”

FICTION: Nicki Minaj had a “wardrobe malfunction” at the VMAs, according to MediaTakeOut.FACT: While it’s true Minaj had a fashion mishap at the 2014 event, there was no such issue this time around. The rapper chose to wear a dress with sheer panels, an outfit that MediaFakeOut used as the basis for its “wardrobe malfunction” allegations. But as even the photos the site chose to feature showed, nothing inappropriate was actually exposed.